Prospect Nation 2015: #16 Catcher Deivi Grullon

Deivi Grullon, image- Jay Floyd

At the time of his signing with the Phillies in July, 2012, backstop Deivi Grullon was one of the top baseball prospects in the Caribbean. Following two years in the minors, the 18-year-old is looked at as an even more promising player.

Grullon, who signed for a reported $575,000, looked very good with the Gulf Coast League Phillies in 2013, posting a .273 batting average with eight doubles, a home run and 14 RBI in 41 games at the rookie level.

He followed up that campaign with a season in which he split time at three levels in 2014. Grullon started his season in mid-April with a promotion to Class A Advanced Clearwater out of extended spring training. He notched two hits in ten at bats in two games there. A demotion to Class A Lakewood, where he would get more playing time, followed. In 24 games as a BlueClaw, the six-foot-one 180-pounder posted a .237 average with five doubles, a home run and seven RBI. Grullon would be demoted once more to short-season Class A Williamsport when their season began in June. With the Crosscutters, he batted .225 with nine doubles, a triple and 18 RBI in 53 games.

A righty batter, Grullon typically performs better against left-handed pitchers, although he sported fairly balanced splits last season. A refined approach when faced with pitchers' counts, in general, is something scouts have cited as a standout quality for Grullon as well.

Grullon, a Domincan Republic native, projects as a big league catcher, but he is clearly very young and has a long way to go. He has drawn comparisons to Phils backstop Carlos Ruiz. The youngster may not project to develop a considerable amount more power, but that's okay, as he brings plenty more to the table.

His defense is an excellent aspect of his game with his plus arm behind the dish being a rave-worthy tool that his battery mates rely on to keep runners reserved. Already praised by coaches as being energetic and a quality game caller, Grullon is poised to be a top-notch leader on the field. His defensive projections are what make Grullon stand out the most.

It's likely that Grullon, who will turn 19 years old in mid-February prior to minor league spring training, will begin his 2015 season with Lakewood.

To follow along with this year’s full countdown, click HERE.

Comments

Jealous Ones Envy

Joe Blanton continues to excel and prove his worth in the Phillies pitching rotation. In his latest outing on Sunday, Blanton threw 8 strong innings, striking out 6, while walking just 1 and surrendering 2 earned runs, improving his record to 7-4. This season in July, Joe is 3-0 over four starts with 22 K's, 5 walks and a 1.21 ERA. Over his last 6 starts, Joe's ERA is 1.94. As a member of the Phillies, Blanton has a 3.84 ERA after the all star break with a 5-0 record. The Phillies are 20-12 (.625 winning percentage) in games that Blanton has started, since being acquired last July. Combined this season against other National League playoff contenders St. Louis, Chicago and Los Angeles, Blanton has a combined 1.67 ERA in 4 starts with a 2-0 record. Blanton is on such a sizzling run that the Bowling Green Hot Rods, a Tampa Bay Rays farm team, will host a Joe Blanton bobble head give away tomorrow. Bowling Green will host Joe's mother, father and sister for the event, as Joe...

Sunday School: Phillies History Lesson 71

Gene Kelly was the radio voice of the Philadelphia Phillies from 1950- 1959. Born in Brooklyn NY, Kelly pitched in the minor leagues after graduating from Marshall College in 1941. He would soon experience arm trouble, which ended his playing days. Kelly managed to continue a career in sports by turning to radio. When legendary announcer By Saam, who pulled double duty beginning in 1939 calling both Phillies and Athletics games, moved over to the A's side exclusively, Gene Kelly was the man who would fill the void and took over as the Phillies play-by-play man. The Phillies began broadcasting their games over the air in 1936, but until the 1950's, the broadcasters only attended home games and did not travel with the team. All road games were recreated, on the air, by the announcers who read a Western Union teletype account of the games from the studio in Philadelphia. During the decade of the 50's, Kelly was partnered with several different broadcasters, including Claude Ha...

Heroes- Fight of the Century

VS. It's a big day for your boy, Jay Ballz . No work, X-Men Origins: Wolverine premieres, our Phillies face the Metropolitans for the first time this season and tailgating for BOTH doesn't sound all that absurd to me. Anyway, I surveyed some qualified phans and got several opinions on how exactly a fight might go down if the mutant hero Wolverine faced off against Phillies hero Matt Stairs. Well known blogger, Chris, of I've Made a Huge Tiny Mistake , kept it real and said the following- "Wolverine has adamantium ( indestructible metal substance) claws, so that's a great advantage. Stairs' Wonder Bat is neutralized there. See, the problem becomes Wolverine's ability to recover (he has a regenerative power) faster. Stairs is merely human. Sure, he has a goatee, and goatees are great, but they're great for saving sauce, not for defeating mutants. I think Wolverine takes it in a fight to the death in about 15 minutes because Stairs simply doesn'...

PhoulBallz.com

Search This Blog